Dear SingTel,
First and foremost, I would like to thank you, SingTel, for the willingness showed to screw with the people who have bought the iPhone 3G with you. As we all know that the date was August 22 2008 when it was first made available here, there is no way that anyone who purchased the original iPhone has finished even the first year of their 2 year contract.
I do not remember the actual penalty that one must pay for breaking the contract, but I do know that it is a pretty large amount for the first year. That is pretty much common knowledge. I have heard and read about many horror stories of people who has to pay hefty penalties for breaking their contract.
Imagine my dismay when I read this particular line in the advertisement for the iPhone 3GS launch:
We know you have an iPhone 3G contract with SingTel and are keen to upgrade to an iPhone 3GS. As you are a valued SingTel customer, we have introduced an early upgrade fee just for this launch at $600 (in addition to the handset prices above) if you take a 24-month contract with the pricing above. This offer is only available at the launch event at Comcentre between 10 – 12 July 09.
How can you even dare call that an offer? To call it that is simply to mock my intelligence. That is the worst piece of marketing I have heard. So much for subtlety. This is simply the same, or similar, price for breaking one’s 2-year contract with SingTel within the first 12 months.
Is this the value that SingTel place on existing iPhone 3G owners? Sure, I have a passion for gadgets. I love getting my hands on any new piece of hardware, and rest assured, I will get the iPhone 3GS, one way or another. However, I am still a rational human being. Asking me to pay $600 as an “early upgrade fee” is horrendous, which sad to say, supersedes my love for gadgetry. I am not one with unlimited resources. And don’t you even dare suggest that the trade-in value of my current iPhone can cover that. I might as well use the credit from a trade-in to cover the cost of the new phone!
Sorry SingTel, I’m sure you will make a sh*tload of money on Friday. Too bad, you won’t get my $600.
Regards,
Mart
PS: All you fanboys of faceless corporations (Intel, AMD, Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, etc), this is why it is stupid to be one. I always wondered why you love to troll forums with such junk threads and posts when all they want is your money.
Update: I received another promotional email for the iPhone 3GS the next day, saying that SingTel is willing to slash the “fee” to $300. Hahahaha. Sorry, it’s still too high and the damage is done. Besides, I’ve used up part of my savings for a new toy. 
